All-Mersey attack may not function

MERSEYSIDE football fans have been drooling at the prospect of a Red, White and Blue international strikeforce - Michael Owen from the red corner and Wayne Rooney from the Blue, wearing the white of England.

MERSEYSIDE football fans have been drooling at the prospect of a Red, White and Blue international strikeforce - Michael Owen from the red corner and Wayne Rooney from the Blue, wearing the white of England.

Without getting involved in any Owen v Rooney debate, I have to say I can't see the pair of them functioning effectively together.

Wayne (pictured) is strong enough to hold up the ball and act as a target-man, but set pieces are so important in modern football and Michael and Wayne simply don't have enough height between them.

England's desperation for a target man in recent years has seen calls for Alan Shearer to come out of retirement - and even David Moyes has shown his reluctance to play Rooney without a solid physical presence alongside him.

There's no doubt in my mind that Wayne Rooney deserves to be included in England's full set-up. When you have that amount of talent, the sooner you get in and start feeling comfortable about the international scene the better.

The number of younger players in the squad will also help him. Lads like Scott Parker, Jermaine Jenas, Paul Konchesky and Matthew Upson are sure to be as nervous as Wayne - and I'm sure Franny Jeffers will go out of his way to help Rooney settle in.

The only slight down-side is the lack of competitive football Rooney has endured recently as a result of his ban. That apart, both England and Wayne Rooney can only benefit from this week's friendly international.

Wright in contention>

THE goalkeeping selection for tomorrow night's friendly has thrown an international gauntlet firmly at Richard Wright's feet.

With David Seaman nearing the end of his international career, and David James surely only selected because of tomorrow's venue - that leaves Wright and Paul Robinson to battle it out for the number one jersey.

James will almost certainly start tomorrow, but I think he makes too many mistakes to be considered England's first choice number one.

Wright is also prone to the occasional lapse, but nowhere near as many as James, while Robinson probably looks the most consistent of the lot.

With Chris Kirkland on the injured list, this could be a significant spell in Richard Wright's international ambitions.